


i'd drag you out of the fire

by marvelmedigeekfics



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Ace!Marjan, Drunk characters, Gen, Marjan Marwani & TK Strand Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29371005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelmedigeekfics/pseuds/marvelmedigeekfics
Summary: The one where it's only TK and Marjan who can answer the call to a structure fire. Everyone else is a little bit too tipsy. Things happen. Secrets are spilled.
Relationships: Marjan Marwani & TK Strand
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	i'd drag you out of the fire

Most Friday nights have a set routine in the 126. Shower. Eat. Drink. And it's heavy on the third step tonight. TK and Marjan both abstain, for completely different reasons, while everyone else is indulging themselves. One might even say overindulging themselves. Marjan and TK exchange a sly glance over the different types of drunk their colleagues are. Judd, the secret drunk. Paul, the competitive drunk. Mateo, the reckless drunk. And Owen, the almost sloppy drunk. He hadn't done anything permanently embarrassing. Yet. Of course, who knows what kind of trouble those four would get into. 

The bar was jumping and everything seemed a little bit hazy. Paul and Mateo were having a spirited discussion over whether Batman or Spiderman was the better superhero. Neither one was winning. Judd was grinning into his phone. Scratch the secret, Judd was definitely the affectionate drunk. Based on his obvious swooning over his wife, that much was obvious. Owen was ordering up another round of tequila, and downing the shot glasses like they were glasses of water. Marjan and TK hadn't moved from their table, mostly just watching other people in the bar. TK was chewing on his straw, and Marjan just twirled her spoon between her fingers. Usually, Friday nights were less of a night of getting absolutely hammered for the 126, but this had been an extraordinary week. No one could blame any of them for forgetting the present for a while. Except TK was an addict, and Marjan was Muslim. Drinking wasn't exactly something on their bucket list. 

They were relieved when their phones buzzed and chimed. "Structure fire. In the 400 block of Hubbard Boulevard." TK read aloud. "Is that us?" Marjan looked around at Judd and Paul, Mateo and Owen, and sighed. She raised her eyebrows in the way she did before every call. "For us, maybe. Not the rest of the guys." Owen was being cut off by the bartender. There was definitely a story there, but that would be for another time. Judd was still grinning on the phone with Grace. Mateo and Paul had moved on to another debate on the soup status of cereal. 

"Call 'em a cab?" TK asked, clearing his basket, which was empty except for mozzarella stick crumbs and a smear of marinara sauce.

"Yeah." Marjan gritted her teeth to leave them here without a designated driver from their station, but Uber was a thriving business in the world of drunk first responders. 

TK and Marjan each shot off a message in their shift group chat to explain their absence, whenever it would happen to be noticed. Marjan hopped into her Jeep and TK into his coupe. They arrived at the station 12 minutes later, a record time for both of them. There was no guarantee they'd even be needed, but it was always better to have too much help than not enough. Especially on a structure fire call, as busy of a neighborhood as Hubbard tended to be. Both engines, the aid car, and the ladder truck were long gone by the time Marjan and TK entered. They probably should have expected as much, so after a few seconds of eye contact and a noncommital shrug from Marjan, the two of them moved outside. Turnouts and gear in hand, they made their way to Hubbard Boulevard. They'd be more help at the scene, than rummaging through the pantry back at the 126. 

\--

When Marjan and TK arrived, the top three floors were in flames. The fire stood out starkly against the black and starless sky. Both of them took a second to get a handle on the scene. It wasn't the first time either of them had shown up to calls while off duty, but it still felt slightly wrong to be here without Judd, Paul, Mateo, and Owen. Tommy was around here somewhere, they both knew, which was slightly settling for their nerves. It was an unspoken resolution between them to stick together. 

"There's incident command, over there." TK bounded off like a puppy, and Marjan had to run to catch up with him. 

"Where do you want us?" 

There was a brief moment of hesitation on the incident commander's face, but it was quickly replaced by a grave overtone. "Tria--" His thought was interuppted by an explosion from the blazing building. The smoke, despite its blackness, was illuminated against the sky. The flames jumped between the original apartment complex and the one next to it, causing the flames to lick up in intensity. Marjan and TK glanced uneasily at each other and then immediately back at the incident commander. 

"Evacuation!" The incident commander ordered the crowd of firefighters who were crowded around him. "Everyone out!" Marjan and TK waited for the crowd behind them to disperse so they could do their jobs. 

\--

The building had 12 floors, and according to the building manager, every apartment on the top three floors was rented by someone. Luckily for them, there only happened to be 8 rooms per floor. "Suites," the building manager had explained. "Top-down," Marjan whispered to herself, before joining TK in climbing the stairs. They moved quickly up the flights of stairs, along with 12 other pairs of firefighters. 

"Austin FD! You need to evacuate!!" TK banged on the left side apartments on the top floor, while Marjan had the right side. A mere few doors opened and TK and Marjan rushed to escort the coughing occupants down the stairs. Smoke was quickly filling up the hallways and stairwells. The constant coughing didn't escape either of their ears, but the first 6 apartments occupants made it safely halfway down. TK and Marjan passed them off to the pairs on the 6th floor and made their way back up to the top. 

"Austin FD! You need to evacuate!!" The final 2 apartments still hadn't had anyone escape them. No one. It was 11 o'clock when Marjan and TK had left the bar, and it was bound to be at least past midnight now. Marjan and TK banged on the doors, desperately trying to get the last people out. There was a faint cry from behind one of the doors. The door was locked, but in a swift kick the hinges gave way and the door fell against the floor. Marjan and TK stepped through, trying their best to scream loud enough for whoever was home to hear them. 

The whine returned, and Marjan and TK picked up their pace to search the place. There was no one in the kitchen, the living room, the small dining room, or the closets. "Austin FD!! Anybody here?" The north bedrooms were empty too, and Marjan had even gone as far as to check underneath the beds. She'd done that as a little kid, and there was no way she'd forgive herself for letting a child get past their search. "There's nothing, Marj!" TK said once they met up in the living room again. 

"Austin FD!! Anyone here? Please call out!!" They yelled in unison one last time. They had to leave the obviously empty apartment behind, but not without an inkling of doubt in their minds. The pair didn't hesitate to kick down the door of the last apartment on the 12th floor. The smoke was beginning to occlude their vision and the heat penetrated their turnouts. But there was still one apartment left, and there was no way their comfort level was going above someone else's life. 

"Austin FD!!" TK's voice was growing hoarse, so Marjan continued his calls. "Anyone here? Please call out!! Austin FD!!" 

"Over here!!! Please, I'm over here!!" The voice was so faint, both TK and Marjan struggled to hear it. It was coming from underneath a table in the middle of the living room. The flames had scorched a massive black stain into the wall and the heat had only gotten worse. It was much worse for the man trapped under an overturned table. TK and Marjan lifted the table up on the count of three, and the man gasped for air. It was hard to see in the hazy, smoke-filled air, but Marjan could clearly see the piece of the glass top sticking out of this man's diaphragm. He shuddered with every breath, and blood had already soaked his sweater. 

"I'm Marjan, what's your name?" Marjan knelt to the floor, nodding subtlely at TK, who had read her mind. 

"I'm Lucas," his voice had a desperate, gasping quality. 

"Are you up to walking?" TK yelled it over the roar of the flames, which were only getting closer. Lucas pulled himself to his feet, every movement causing more blood to spill out of his body onto his clothes. "Is there anyone else here with you?" 

"My sister!" Lucas gasped in shock, obviously appalled at himself that he had forgotten. 

"What's her name?" 

"Amy! She's in her room on the east side, please save her, please!" Marjan shifted Lucas' weight on to TK. Her nod seemed to say, 'I got this, save him,' His nod in return, 'i'll be back for you'

She ran off to the east side of the apartment. Marjan called out for Amy, hoping she'd find her before it was too late. "Amy!!" Marjan moved from room to room. The ceiling began to splinter off, raining down wood and flames. Marjan began to panic slightly when she reached the second bedroom and there was no sign of Amy. "Amy!!!!" 

There was no one in any of the bedrooms, no one underneath the beds, or in the bathroom, or in any of the closets, or anywhere. "Amy!!! Amy! Amy!!" The name echoed over the sound of raining flames. "Amy!" Marjan couldn't let herself give up, because Amy had to be here somewhere. Somewhere. 

"Amy!!" And then everything was fire and smoke and black. 

\--

"Marjan, get up!!" TK's voice was broken by the fire hissing. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up to stand. "We have to go, Amy's not here." His voice pled with her until she moved. Marjan made a sound of pain and looked down. She'd been hit with a board, she knew in that second that was why everything had gone black earlier. How much time had passed? She hoped not long, because oxygen tanks didn't last forever. 

TK was as much leaning on Marjan as she was on him. They'd made it down 2 floors when another board from the apartment about fell into their path. Marjan had mustered enough strength to force TK over the board and all of its nails. The telltale sign of their oxygen tanks being at dangerous amounts depleted rang out. Marjan bit down the pain in her leg and looked at TK with a look of anguish. His shoulder was dislocated and hanging limply at his side. Their eyes locked and the simple bond forced a bit of strength into both of them. The ring of their oxygen tanks continued to get louder. 

7th floor. The ring had become a bit of a dull boring sound. Marjan shook her head at TK. The sort of mindreading those too had when they worked side by side was mesmerizing. There was no time to dwell on the worst sound in existence. 

4th floor. The ring has wormed its way into Marjan's brain and all she wanted was to go down. TK looked about the same. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. It is only 4 more floors. Keep going. Marjan fell to her knees first, with TK about 20 seconds behind her. They crawled, desperate to make it out. Keep going. 

TK felt his eyes close. He was desperate to sleep, and it would be so easy to do so. If he was in New York still, heartbroken over Alex maybe he wouldn't have any kind of attachment to making it out. But now, with Carlos, and the 126, he'd never wanted anything more. He hadn't prayed in years, but he prayed for that one wish. 

Marjan didn't feel a thing, but her eyes wouldn't close. She stared at TK, who looked so peaceful. A rare occurrence. She was desperate. Marjan, the unattached, didn't want to go. She prayed. For salvation. She didn't want to die, but it would be so easy to lay down and give up the fight to stay. 

Marjan's eyes were still open when they were dragged to safety. She was too weak to take her helmet off, so someone did it for her. She sputtered, violently gasping in the air, luckily smoke-free. TK had the same reaction, his cheeks wet with tears. Of pain. Or gratefulness. Marjan's cheeks were wet too, but she didn't realize it. 

Tommy had quickly taken over their care, forcing both of them to put on the oxygen. She looked so fierce that neither Marjan nor TK would have challenged her, even if they felt at peak performance. Tommy popped TK's shoulder back into place, air splinted Marjan's fracture and very sternly told them they needed to be checked out at the hospital. Judd had always said, "Tommy's only demanding when she cares." If he was here he'd probably treat them the same way. 

Speak of the devil. Judd seemed to have worried off about all of his alcohol consumption, just like Owen. 

"Holy hell, what happened to you guys?" Judd said, his eyes vibrating between TK with a stark white sling and Marjan with an air splint. 

"Just the usual day in the life of off-duty firefighters." TK snarked back while adjusting the oxygen mask. 

\--

Marjan and TK had both been instructed to stay the night because they were at such high risk of developing worse complications than smoke inhalation. They were in rooms right next to each other, and the rest of their crew (plus Carlos), had promised to come to visit them in the morning. TK had walked over because Marjan had a double break in her fibula. She probably would have wheeled herself over to Tk's room, but both Mateo, Paul, the nurses, and her doctor had all but restrained her to the bed to keep her from doing so. Not that Paul and Mateo could have done so from their houses, but they'd been very passionate over facetime. 

TK had stayed in Marjan's room even after the staff had left. "I heard that Lucas has dementia. Amy is his sister, who passed away 4 years ago." TK said, looking straight at Marjan. 

"She was never there." Marjan finished his sentence for him, but still left out what they were both thinking. There had been someone to save until the person to save became them. Marjan smiled because she'd never forgiven herself if she had left someone inside a burning building to die. 

"We got everyone out." 

"I know." That was the first thing Marjan had asked when they'd been dragged out of the building. TK quietly raised an eyebrow, because there was something off about Marjan. Usually, she was quippy and smart and fiery. Now she was just not. Maybe she was just tired. He couldn't blame her. 

"Remember my fiance?" Marjan said after a slight break of silence. TK opened his eyes to look at her. He nodded, curious to see where this was going. 

"He accused me of never being in love with him." 

"Were you? Are you?" 

"Maybe?" TK raised an eyebrow, beckoning her to elaborate. Marjan cleared her throat, pressing her palms calmly against the white sheets. "He dumped me. Though I think I might be in love with him. I don't know. I've never been in love." 

"I was in love with my ex. His name was Alex, and I asked him to marry me. He said no." TK turns his face away, sniffing twice and then clearing his throat. "I can't tell you if you're in love with Salim. Only you can decide that." 

Marjan took a shaky breath. This was not her usual realm. She liked to deal with facts. Emotions were messy and complicated, and it was not her forte in the slightest. 

"I always thought that I would marry Salim after he finished dental school. I'd have time. We had a plan." She laughed wryly. "None of that now. He said he loved someone else. Madison. So I went to his hotel room and I told him I loved him." 

"Oh?" 

"And he kissed me."

"Oh!" 

"But I didn't go to his hotel room for that. I honestly don't know why I did it."

"Do you regret it?"

"No. I don't."

"Did you lie when you said you loved him?"

"No. At least I don't think I did." 

TK is silent. He looks at her, in a way that is slightly intimate, but not probing. Marjan sighs and slowly cracks each of her knuckles in perfect succession. 

"I wasn't lying when I told him I loved him. But I didn't tell him how I love him." 

TK still doesn't reply. He is partially thinking and partially listening. Marjan bites her lip in a way that makes her seem ashamed, which is not like her. 

"How do you love him?" TK pulls Marjan out of her bubble of shame with his question. She isn't sure she has an answer, but she does. She just wants to hold it like a treasure for a moment. 

"I love him like a friend. Closer than a brother." Marjan looks at TK like he is going to think she is crazy. He doesn't, because that was how he felt about girls he was supposed to want to be with. 

"That's how I described how I felt about girls, Marjan." 

"What?" Marjan's face completely changes from shame to something like awe. She shakes her head slowly, in disbelief. "But I feel that way about everyone. I've never looked at a girl, or a guy, and wanted to be with them. It's just Salim. I wanted it to be like the plan I always envisioned." 

"Life never goes according to plan. Wasn't our plan tonight to drive 4 drunk guys to their houses so they didn't kill anyone on the roads? And look where we are now?" 

"I know. But I just wanted one thing to work out exactly the way I envisioned it when I was 12 years old." 

"If life was the way I envisioned it when I was 12 years old, I would be living in New York, my parents would not be hovering over me like chickens, and I would not have the incredible life I have now. Carlos, the 126. Sometimes plans change for the better, Marj." TK reaches out and takes her hand. She squeezes it with a smile on her face. 

TK is right. 12-year-old Marjan's plan did not include becoming a firefighter or living in Texas, or anything that had happened in the past year and a half. Plans change, even in love.


End file.
